Circus Skills classes start at South Essex

SOUTH ESSEX will start its eagerly-anticipated Circus Skills classes next week and have plans for a number of future drop-in sessions.

Two groups of 24, one for adults and another for 11-18 year-olds, will run on the evenings of Wednesday (June 10) and the following day.

It will be the start of a 13-week course on which qualified coaches at South Essex will teach the National Centre for Circus Arts’ curriculum on Level 1 Ariel Circus Skills.

The coaching team will be headed up by Cara Noble and she will be supported by Rebecca Moss and Rebecca Humphries.

Assistant director of coaching David Massam is also qualified to teach aerial hoop, static trapeze and silks on the bespoke rig at the club’s smaller gym at the Basildon Sporting Village.

A taster class for a dozen seven to 11 year olds will also be held on the afternoon of Sunday, June 14, and the club will announce details of similar drop-in sessions for adults and juniors soon.

Jeff Davis (pictured above with the new rig) is a senior advisory coach and former Olympic gymnast who has pioneered the project at South Essex for many years.

He said: “It is great to have reached this point and we are very pleased with our new rig.

“In fact, outside of the national centre in Hoxton, we are confident it is the best rig in the country.

“We have initially had a lot of interest from women, which is great, but we would also like to encourage more men to come try it out over the coming months.”

The club unveiled the new equipment with special displays on two evenings earlier this month featuring performing arts students and two of South Essex’s international gymnasts, Reiss Beckford and Jay Thompson.

The club hopes to stage a show at the end of the year featuring the skills learnt by those who take the course.